No Shepard Without Vakarian
by FragileFreak
Summary: Sophia Shepard has been critically injured and teeters on the brink of death. Can the Normandy and Crew make it? Can she recover? What will happen now? Rated M for sensitive topics and possible triggers. Plus a generous amount of swearing.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Thank you for clicking the story and I hope you enjoy!

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Garrus rested his head in his talons, tears refusing to fall from his glassy eyes. Not two hours ago the Normandy had hyper jumped countless light years away from the blast of the crucible, leaving Commander Shepard behind. There was a very tiny chance she had survived and this war had taught him not to assume the best. The captain's quarters were silent without her blasting the sound system and dancing like a madwoman, something he now missed. Garrus hardly heard the door open to let in Liara.

_"I know what's going through your head and no it's not your fault Garrus, she knew that she had to get you out of there. Both yours and Shepard's sacrifice was not in vain."_

He knew she was right. Her actions had blown up every reaper in the galaxy. True, EDI had gone offline but they had gotten her back. Shepard couldn't be brought back like that, no matter how hard he wished it.

_"I should have been with her. I told her…"_

He choked up and shook to get rid of the blur his unshed tears had caused.

_"It was clear she loved you. I'm sure that wherever she is now, she's watching over us. What was it she said? 'You'll never be alone?'"_

He raised his eyes to look at the photo they had taken at their first date. She looked so beautiful, so strong and so… **Alive**.

_"I know Liara it's just difficult to accept. I didn't think anything could bring her down. She's done some things that everyone thought was impossible... Mordin, Thane, Legion… You better take care of her, assuming you're all together."_

He shoved himself off the bed and passed Liara, muttering a thank you before heading to the pilot pit. When he got up there Joker gave him an apologetic smile, as EDI tried to mimic his smile.

_"So, can we get off this planet now or is the ship going to turn into a shiny decoration?"_

_"Heck yeah we got the Normandy working! We just gotta power her up and we're good to go."_

He flipped switches and pulled levers, hit buttons… After a couple seconds the ship was now a few feet in the air and ascending quickly.

A noise went off to notify them of an incoming comm. When EDI hit answer, Garrus thought he would faint.

_"N-Normandy Shepard here, do you think you could do a p-pickup? I'm pinned and need assistance."_

She sounded tired, hurt and weary but spirits she was **alive**!


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Thank you for clicking the story and I hope you enjoy!

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Shepard stared up at the sky, the ash filled and fiery sky. She remembered her mother telling her that war made the sky angry and this was the only way to show it.

_"It's over now, no need to be mad…"_

She laughed slightly, wincing at the pain that echoed through her muscles.

Blood pooled around her, mimicking the many other pools that littered the ground. Countless scattered bodies accompanied the blood, turian blue, krogan crimson, asari violet, salarian yellow, human red and reaper grey. The colors of blood seemed to create a twisted rainbow, a sick reminder that her victory came at a high price.

_"If I was just a little faster. Just a little stronger. Just a little braver. I could have saved them all."_

Footfalls echoed around her, signaling what seemed like a platoon of people. She wanted to move wanted to talk but she couldn't; it was if someone had injected pure concrete in her veins. Yet within a few agony filled moments Sophia was on a stretcher, blurry figures above her moving and bumbling.

_"Commander Shepard has been found and her condition is critical, life signs are unstable and she's losing blood quickly. We need a room on standby!"_

{-POV SWITCH, SOPHIA SHEPARD, FIRST PERSON-}

I felt as if I was disconnected from my body. Watching from the side as it screamed and withered in pain, pain which felt as if I was being mutilated in a hundred different ways. The blurry figures held it down as they injected something. Then watching it all go black.

I saw so many things once the darkness came. Mordin, Thane, Legion, Ashley, Anderson, Cortez… They were all there, smiling at me. Thanking me. Why? They all died because I was ineffective. Their eyes told me something, something incomprehensible. It was a farewell and a greeting, a warning and an approval.

Before I could ask or tell them anything. They were gone, replaced by the cold darkness once again.

_"I'm sorry. I couldn't save you. I'm sorry!"_


End file.
